Posted on 09/19/2008 6:07:45 PM PDT by Daffynition
Oh, milk chocolate. Wherefore art thou?
Apparently not in some Hershey’s products that contained milk chocolate for years, and that has passionate chocolate aficionados fighting mad.
Products such as Whatchamacallit, Milk Duds, Mr. Goodbar and Krackel no longer have milk chocolate coatings, and Hershey’s Kissables are now labeled “chocolate candy” instead of “milk chocolate.”
What’s going on here? On Friday, TODAY consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman reported that Hershey’s has switched to less expensive ingredients in several of its products. In particular, cocoa butter — the ingredient famous for giving chocolate its creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture — has been replaced with vegetable oil.
The removal of cocoa butter violates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s definition of milk chocolate, so subtle changes have appeared on the labels of the Hershey’s products with altered recipes. Products once labeled “milk chocolate” now say “chocolate candy,” “made with chocolate” or “chocolatey.”
Some say the label changes are too difficult to spot.
“A lot of people don’t notice it. The package looks exactly the same,” said Cybele May, who has chronicled the changes in detail on her Candy Blog. “I feel betrayed by Hershey’s. They’re giving me an inferior product and they’re not even telling me …
“I call it mockolate, which is basically a fake chocolate product.”
Crunched by rising costs In a statement, Hershey’s told TODAY that consumers love its products and all its candies are clearly labeled. It still offers real milk chocolate in Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and its classic chocolate bar.
“And recently it put back the milk chocolate in Almond Joy because consumers complained,” Lieberman said Friday in her report.
Experts say that while many manufacturers cope with higher costs by increasing their prices or reducing their product sizes, Hershey’s change was meant to be ... [snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
If enough people complain ... they may switch their recipe back .... but it sounds like they were sneaky about it. That I don’t like.
Note to self: Stock up on Godiva and Dove. Place in emergency escape box. Also, grab discounts from Russell Stover.
I thought their chocolates were tasting particularly cheap. (Hershey)Trust me, I know.
Maddie the Chocoholic.
“Now mockolate. Verily, the world is coming to an end.”
Although I do find it symptomatic of what is happening in US industry. As a rule, we can’t compete making any sort of functional commodity (cars, computers, furniture, clothing), but junk food is something we had always been good at (candy, soda, salty snacks, Twinkies). Now, even those are beginning to erode.
The world is catching on that all we make is useless junk.
Mars and recently Mary See's
Damn. Now I’m craving an Almond Joy.
Chocoholics can be very passionate about their faves. Ghiradelli is very good ... I happen to like Dagoba ... not b/c it’s organic ... just like the taste.
Anybody remember the candy counter in Sears and Roebuck? Everytime we went there, I begged my parents for that chunk of milk chocolate in the display case! Other times, I’d subtly stand by the display case and wait for them to find me.
I thought Hershey was moving to Mexico.
Leftover candy? How does that happen?
From the 5oz bar ... yes ... but not for long! ;)
LOL ... you have my full support ... I’ll bet my addiction is worse than yours!
I do... but the one I remember the most is the candy counter at Famous Barr. The easter candy was to die for. Those huge heavenly hash chocolate easter eggs. They were huge. Thank goodness my mother worked for Famous Barr and would get her employee discount and after each holiday the seasonal candy leftovers would get marked down plus my mom would get her employee discount on top of it.
I also miss the bakery they had at Famous Barr. The french bread was to die for also.
“I liked being able to cover the left overs. “
What’s a leftover!
I’ve never heard of opening a candy bar and not consuming the whole thing!
I don’t remember the popcorn. I do remember the cashews and my first encounter with chocolate-covered peanuts. Mmmmm. Where would we be without chocolate?
Other childhood treat I have been disappointed in when I have gone back to them years later:
1) Chip A’Hoy cookies are half the size and don’t have the once-promised 16 chips per cookie.
2) Dove bars used to be twice the size they are now.
3) Nabisco Royal Grahms don’t exist anymore so far as I can see (that is chocolate covered grahm crackes that were about 2 inches square.
4) Chocolate cake donuts at Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston Illinois. Once fabulous and plentyful chocolate, but it’s cheap and not plentiful now.
You had leftovers??
Guess I’ll be checking out Cadbury ...
Hercia not in your scope ... don’t blame you. Founder Milton Hershey had a similar business model as Samuel Colt ... caring greatly about his employees.
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